Lao Cai prevents malaria from returning

With the drastic participation of all levels and sectors, malaria prevention and control work in Lao Cai province has achieved important results. In 2020, Lao Cai was recognized as meeting the criteria for malaria elimination.

World Malaria Day 2024 has the theme "Towards ending malaria in Vietnam" to widely communicate to people about malaria prevention, control and elimination.

From 1991 to 2000, Lao Cai province was in a period of active malaria prevention and control. Many communes and districts were located in malaria-endemic areas. By 2000, Lao Cai had basically completed the National Target Program for Malaria Prevention and Control. However, the program had not yet established a sustainable factor, and there were still many potential epidemiological risks. Therefore, from 2001 to 2010, the number of malaria patients continued to increase.

By 2011, Lao Cai province implemented the National Strategy for Malaria Prevention, Control and Elimination. After 10 years of implementation (2011 - 2020), the province's malaria prevention and control work has achieved important results. Malaria has been pushed back year by year, for many years there have been no domestic malaria parasites, and there are no more communes in malaria-endemic areas. In 2020, Lao Cai completed malaria elimination in the whole province according to the roadmap prescribed by the Ministry of Health and was granted a malaria elimination certificate by the Central Institute of Malaria - Parasitology - Entomology. By 2023, the rate of malaria parasites in the province will be below 0.016/1,000 people, with no malaria epidemics occurring.

To achieve the above results, in recent years, the provincial health sector has made continuous efforts with the goal of continuing to strengthen sustainable factors and maintain malaria elimination results. Accordingly, vector control and prevention work for mobile people such as people sleeping in the forest, border crossings, and migrants has always been ensured. During the stages, investigation and surveillance activities to detect cases have been maintained; suspected malaria cases have been diagnosed by rapid tests or microscopy; and the work between the treatment and prevention systems has been well coordinated...

Dr. Le Ha Bac, Head of the Department of Parasitology and Entomology (Provincial Center for Disease Control) said: Although the province has been recognized as meeting the criteria for malaria elimination, the provincial health sector still pays attention and is not subjective in the face of the epidemic. Strengthening surveillance and early detection of cases is the main goal of Lao Cai province in the coming period.

Such initiative is completely reasonable, because Lao Cai has many potential risks that can cause malaria to return at any time and spread in the community. According to analysis, Lao Cai is a mountainous province with favorable weather, climate and environment for the growth and development of mosquitoes, especially mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Along with that, Lao Cai borders provinces where malaria is still prevalent such as Lai Chau, Ha Giang (Vietnam), Yunnan (China), so population movement, cross-border exchanges, between regions, especially those who work seasonally to malaria-endemic areas are still difficult to control. In addition, some people, especially those in the highlands, do not use mosquito nets when sleeping in fields and plantations; environmental sanitation and housing hygiene are not good, people are still subjective in disease prevention and control...

Based on the potential risk factors that cause malaria to return, the provincial health sector has developed a plan with specific goals and targets. Accordingly, the province strives to ensure that there are no domestic malaria parasites; 100% of people suspected of having malaria have their blood tested for malaria parasites; 100% of imported malaria cases are detected, reported, investigated, managed and treated promptly, in accordance with the Ministry of Health's instructions; ensure that people have access to early malaria diagnosis services, timely, effective and safe treatment; increase coverage of appropriate malaria prevention and control measures for people at risk of malaria; improve the quality of the malaria epidemiological surveillance system and ensure the capacity to handle malaria outbreaks; improve people's knowledge and behavior in activities to prevent malaria from entering...

Lao Cai is in the stage of preventing the risk of malaria returning. Therefore, the health sector has been and is continuing to maintain propaganda activities to raise people's awareness; proactively implementing epidemic prevention measures such as spraying insecticide, using mosquito nets, clearing sewers, etc.